Page 67 of Purchase Power
Chapter 19
Already that evening was unlike anything Lucy expected, let alone after a whole week of doing everything but kissing the man now escorting her back into his private chambers.
“So, this is where you actually live, huh?” Lucy ran her hand along the back of the chaise lounge upholstered in navy blue. The material was softer than she anticipated. Which was moot, since she wasn’t sitting on it anytime soon. “I have to say, it’s about as dark as I expected.” She didn’t mean a lack of lighting. No, the darkness was mostly from the somber attitude of the décor and the masculine browns of the walls. Some of it looked old and original enough that it might have been like this for generations. Minus the TV on the wall and the personal computer setup in the corner. The desk was otherwise so bare, though, that Lucy wondered if Noah used the computer anywhere outside of his office.
“I like dark, natural colors.” Noah offered to take his jacket from Lucy’s shoulders. Although it wasn’t that cold in his chambers, a shiver covered her skin as she shrugged out of the fabric. “They help me think, and keep me calm.”
“They would definitely help me relax.” Lucy looked around, enjoying the petite chandelier hanging from the ceiling and the portraits of people who may or may not have been related to Noah. “This would be a great room for being sick in.” She blanched. “I mean, I wouldn’t mind curling up on the couch with a blanket and a hot mug of tea.”
“And a copy of ‘Jane Eyre?’” Noah opened a closet hidden beneath a panel in the wall. His jacket was soon on a hanger before the door slid shut again. “A roaring fireplace? ‘90s sitcoms on the TV?”
“Why, Mr. Gabriel,” Lucy cast a hand to her hip and employed a tinge of sass to her voice, “are you getting to know me beyond the Biblical way?”
He said nothing as he approached, but that smarmy visage had Lucy weaker in the knees than seeing him naked – and Noah Gabriel had a mighty fine naked form. “I would be remiss if I didn’t note my favorite way of getting to know you has been…” He slipped his arms around her waist and drew her against his torso. Lucy was so stunned that the air slipped from her throat. “Biblically.”
Only he could say that and not sound ridiculous. Then again, this was the man now cupping her breast and nibbling the soft cartilage of her ear. Lucy’s eyes fluttered shut. Her lips drifted apart. In a perfect fantasy, Noah would lightly suck on her neck and tease her with a slip of the hand between her thighs.
They had gone awholeday since last having sex. How was Lucy expected to survive without him inside of her now?
If only he loved me…
Lucy had thought that more than once that week. Unless Noah Gabriel suddenly decided to start kissing her on the mouth, though, there was no way in hell he actually loved her. Lucy knew that in her bones, like she knew how happy he was to see her because of the obstruction pushing into the top of her ass.
God knew how many layers of clothing… and all she wanted to do was reach between them and grab his cock.
“I hope you saved room for dessert.” Noah stepped away, his hand the last thing to leave Lucy’s body. She felt utterly alone after that. For the first time since waking up next to him a week ago, she feltalone.Strange. She had boyfriends she spent the night with before. Even lived with one for a short time. Never had she awakened to his absence and thought,“What do I do now?”It wasn’t like her. Not Lucy Craig, Ms. Independent with only one thing on her brain.Making a name for myself. Becoming the next big lifestyle reporter…
She didn’t understand this. How did people get by with such loneliness in their hearts?
“What’s for dessert?” her shaky voice asked. “Don’t tell me it’s your erection. That’s cheesy, even for you.”
“Not even a chocolate erection?”
“I seriously can’t tell when you’re being serious.”
Noah disappeared into this bedroom. Lucy remained in the living area, her arms still cold in the warmth of the house. The fireplace wasn’t on, after all. The middle of February seemed like an excellent time for a little snow – and a little heat.
Before she drove herself crazy with anticipation, Noah returned with a decadent chocolate bar in his hand.
“You’re kidding. Wait, no.” Lucy sat on the navy blue chaise lounge, body sinking into the cushions. “This means you’re not joking. Like I said, I can’t tell when you’re being serious.”
“Why would I be joking with a candy bar?”
She took it out of his hands and sniffed the corner. Smelled like Swiss chocolate. She was far from a connoisseur of the world’s chocolates, but she would bet half the money Noah was giving her to be here thatthiswas the famous Swiss chocolate she had heard so much about since she was a little girl. “Why would you joke about anything?” she asked. “You tell me, Noah.”
The white of his teeth appeared in the darkness. “I like the way you say my name, Lucy.”
She could hardly contain her own smile as she passed the chocolate bar back to him and anticipated the peeling back of paper and unwrapping of foil. “I like the way you say mine, too.”
A block of chocolate appeared in her hand. “How about we get around to screaming each other’s names a little later? I’d like some sugar, first.”
“Why? Why wait that long, huh? I never took you for a man who liked to wait.”
“There’s denying yourself pleasure, yes…” He took a hearty bite, speaking through flecks of chocolate. “Then there’s wishing to have a little sweetness later.”
Lucy knew exactly what he meant.
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